ICGA hopes for review of Missouri River management

The flooding along the Missouri River could affect almost 150,000 acres of Iowa farmland. Iowa Corn Growers Association President Dean Taylor says he realizes there’s been a lot of rain and snow melt, but he hopes there’s a review of how federal officials are handling the dam systems upstream.

“It’s one of those things that’s going to have to be dealt with and thrashed out again, I’m afraid,” Taylor said. “We need to know what our land use is supposed to be, how water use is to be dealt with and how much control the federal government should have and the private sector for that matter.”

For now, Taylor says the focus should be on fighting the flood waters. But once the waters recede, he believes updating the river and dam systems needs to be a priority to avoid future flooding. “It’s a little concerning,” Taylor said. “Are the dams solving the problem or are they helping exacerbate it at this point?”

He says there’s clearly political pressure on the Army Corps of Engineers to keep the dams full for recreational use. Taylor is a farmer from Prairie City in south-central Iowa.